


Changing the Third Wheel

by jamesiee



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Awkwardness, F/F, First Dates, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-05 18:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11018742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesiee/pseuds/jamesiee
Summary: March and April's first date gets third-wheeled. Twice.





	Changing the Third Wheel

**Author's Note:**

> This is my piece for [The Women of Check, Please! Zine!](https://www.dropbox.com/s/tuzhvlf9cch1tyb/ZINE.pdf?dl=0) that was organized by [@bluegrasshole ](http://bluegrasshole.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. Make sure to go check out the rest of the pieces, they're all amazing!!! 
> 
> A million thanks to [@immarcesibility ](http://immarcesibility.tumblr.com/)for going above and beyond as a beta! Any remaining mistakes are my own cause I can't leave well enough alone.
> 
> My [tumblr](http://chocolatechipcookiesplease.tumblr.com%20).

April is nervous.

She’s nervous and it’s making her awkward and being aware of it isn’t helping. She tries not to fiddle, tries to pay attention to the story, but she can’t help her hands as they drift across the table to pick at the label on her shitty American beer bottle. She stops, pulling her hands back when she notices the table’s gone quiet.

She looks up at March.

“Sorry,” April mumbles, fighting the urge to bite her nails. She picks at the skin around her thumb instead.

“This is awkward, isn’t it?” March sighs, draining what’s left of her beer. She taps a random beat against the bottle.

“No-” April protests, but shuts up with a look from March.

It’s their first Thursday night off since their post season ended abruptly in the semis and they’re 20-minutes off campus at a bar not many students make the walk to. The fifth set loss is raw enough without the constant reminder that other athletic seasons are still going on on campus.

They just missed the dinner rush so got their pick of tables. March had led April to a two-person table tucked away near the stairs. It was an intimate table, perfect for a first date, if one ignores the beeping VLC machines in the corner and the loud group near the stage. The sign outside promised live music, but the band’s still setting up their gear and the overhead speakers are more static than music.

Looking at the mess she’s made of her cuticle, April vaguely wonders if she and March will still be here by the time the band starts, or if they’ll have left and written this whole date off as a mistake.

“I’m sorry,” April repeats, wishing she could just relax.

She’s on a date, so what? She’s been on dates before. Some were more successful than others sure, but April knows the general rules of how to act on a date: be polite, don’t insult their mother or sport of choice, unless you want to sit through a presentation and accompanying lecture. It’s easy. Who cares if this date is with March? If anything, that should make it easier; they’ve known each other for 4 years so they should be able to bypass the awkward small talk part of the night trying to figure out if it’s worth ordering another drink.

Except it’s March sitting across from April, looking absolutely incredible in a way April’s never been able to appreciate before, and small talk is like 80% of April’s first date strategy so her whole groove has been thrown off. Their first date should be special, not a repeat of previous conversations.

But April is nervous and she can’t think of anything to say and March is starting to notice and it’s awkward. They’re getting third-wheeled by years of friendship. Apparently Ransom and Holster leave that part out when they talk about their own first date.

March leans forward, elbows settling on the table. It pushes her chest out and April would have to be blind to not see what the shirt does for her. She follows the chain of March’s necklace down before she catches herself out of long ingrained habit.

March is smirking when April looks up.

“Shuddup,” April says, reaching for her beer with warm cheeks. “We’re on a date.” She takes a slow sip, feeling March’s eyes on her the whole time.

“Is it okay though?” March asks as April puts the bottle down. “The date, I mean. It’s okay?”

April goes for her beer again, not sure if she’s going to tear the label off completely or down the whole drink instead of answering, but March intercepts. They’re holding hands and April’s stomach swoops. She’s pretty sure it’s in a good way. She swallows thickly, mouth suddenly very dry.

“Yeah,” she says. “It’s okay.”

March smiles, her cheeks dimpling, and it’s a smile that April hasn’t seen before. Which is good; it makes her want to press a kiss there. April couldn't have done that before asking March out under the bleachers after their game, when the reality of graduating finally hit.

“Do you want another drink?” April nods at March’s empty bottle instead of leaning across the table to kiss March.

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“We’re on a date, March.” April’s proud of how smoothly the statement comes out. “Let me buy you a drink.”

March studies April for a beat and then grins, dimples back in full force. She squeezes April’s hand and answers, “Another beer, please.”

April squeezes back, pushing her chair back from the table. She goes to the bar and orders two of whatever’s on tap.

While April is waiting, the band starts their soundcheck. The group by the stage calls out songs, laughing loudly when the band ignores their increasingly outrageous requests. Based on their jeans and steel toes, April’s reasonably sure that they’ve just gotten off a shift, and are looking to unwind with beer and live music. She watches the group quiet down a little as another pitcher is brought to their table.

April accidently catches the eye of the only woman in the group as she’s pouring herself a drink. The woman smiles and lifts the glass in a cross-bar toast. April nods back, turning to find that her beers are poured.

“Thanks.” She pays, takes the glasses, and starts back to the table, stumbling slightly when she sees that March isn’t alone.

Standing next to March is the woman from the construction crew and one of the younger looking guys. March is laughing as she talks to them, but that’s hardly surprising. March talks to anyone who stays still long enough; it’s part of how her and April became such good friends in their frog year.

“Oh, April, this is Becca and Caleb,” March says when April gets back to the table. Becca and Caleb make way for April to get back to her seat, and she passes a beer to March.

“Hey” April shakes two calloused hands, offering them both a small smile. She arches an eyebrow in question at March, but she just shrugs back.

“We were just saying we’ve got enough beer to sink a battleship over there,” Becca says. “Plus a view of the stage, y’all are in the fucking nose bleeds.” She rocks back on her heels, smiling while she waits for a response.

April raises both eyebrows at March. She shrugs again and April rolls her eyes. It’s nice to know the awkwardness of the date hasn’t ruined their ability to communicate nonverbally, but March’s indecision is not helpful.

“Um, sure?” April says, mostly because she’s not sure how to say no politely. At least another one-sided conversation is less likely if they’re at a table with other people.

March’s eyebrows go up in surprise but her smile never wavers.

“Yeah?” Becca asks. “I don’t wanna like fucking pressure you or anything.”

“Beck’s s’not so good at taking hints,” Caleb cuts in, grinning through the punch he takes to arm.

“Yeah.” April’s more confident in the answer after seeing March’s reaction. She’s not nervous anymore. “I’ve heard all her stories before anyways,” she jokes, smiling when the arm March uses to punch her shoulder settles around her.

“I’ll fucking drink to that. This fuckface tells the same three goddamn stories every time we’re out. Just wait,” Becca says as she leads the group to the bigger table. Caleb scoffs but doesn’t deny anything.

April and March hover awkwardly while Becca gives directions as the group rearranges the table and yells at each other when a pitcher comes close to spilling.

“Sorry, I didn’t know how to say no,” April mumbles. March’s hand drops from where it had been resting on April’s hip to her hand. March threads their fingers together and squeezes. April isn’t sure when that started being so comforting but she hopes it never stops.

March shakes here with  a laugh. “C’mon, it’ll be fun.” She pulls April to the chairs when Becca gestures. They sit in the offered chairs.

“This is March and April, boys,” Becca says. “That’s Terry, Claude, Goose, Old Macky, Boy Macky, Spencer and that fuckface” She points out each man, ending with Caleb, who flips her off. Up close, everyone at the table is obviously built for hard work, with rough hands and wind burnt cheeks.

“Nice to meet you,” April says for lack of anything better. She starts at her hangnail again.

“Nah, it fucking ain’t,” the redhead she’s pretty sure called Claude snorts. “You look too fucking nice to be over here.”

“Well, Becca’s lied very well then,” March replies.

Old Macky lets out a loud laugh and just like that, the ice is broken. April gets pulled into a conversation with Goose across the table that starts with baseball and ends with her explaining her anthropology degree while she thinks March is arguing with Terry about sustainable agriculture. Even with how passionate March is gesturing to make her points, her thigh stays pressed against April’s. With that warm point of contact, April feels herself relax finally.

Everyone at the table has opinions about the Bruins game from earlier and is arguing loudly about the disallowed goal over the band that’s finally started playing, when Becca gets up from the table to refill the pitchers. She loudly waves off April’s attempt to help, which leaves a lull in everyone’s conversations.

“So…” Spencer starts. He looks to be the youngest after Caleb who Spencer leans over to speak to March and April. “You know Becca’s like gay right?”

“You know we’re like on a date, right?” April replies. There’s a pause.

“Well, why the fuck did you let us crash your date? Jesus Christ,” Caleb groans, shoving Spencer back to his seat.

Old Macky starts telling stories about his dates with his wife and March catches April’s eye, smiling that smile that April wants to kiss. Their date is being third-wheeled by a whole construction crew now, so she just grabs March’s hand and squeezes when everyone’s distracted by Becca coming back.

“Yo Becks, did you know they’re on a date?” Caleb asks.

“Yeah, ya fuckface,” Becca replies easily. She fills up everyone’s glass and raises hers in a toast. “May you find happiness and love and all that fucking bullshit,” she says, voice raised to be heard over the band. She pauses before drinking. “And fucking invite us to the wedding!”

They drink to that.

It’s past midnight when April and March finally leave the bar, after waving off multiple attempts to keep them dancing. With a promise to come to the bar again, they make it onto the street, hands tightly clasped and start walking home.

"That was…,” April starts.

“Something,” March nods.

April clears her throat “A good something?” she asks, finding it easier to talk now.

March stops suddenly, tugging April back when she continues on for a few steps. March waits until April is right in front of her and then brings a hand up to her jaw. April closes her eyes and enjoys the touch, though her heart is pounding in her throat. When she opens her eyes, March’s cheeks are dimpled so April lets herself finally press her lips to March’s, easily swallowing the pleased sound that March makes.

April isn’t sure how long they kiss. The smile that March wears when they pull back makes April want to kiss her again, and she does, because that’s a thing she can do now.

“A great something,” March says when they pull apart for a second time.

The walk back to campus takes longer than 20 minutes.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> But seriously, go check out the rest of the [Zine,](https://www.dropbox.com/s/tuzhvlf9cch1tyb/ZINE.pdf?dl=0) every submission is incredibly gorgeous!


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